Rockfall closes popular southwestern Colorado mountain road
Ouray County authorities declared a disaster emergency last week after rockfall caused significant damage to Camp Bird Road.
Large boulders fell from directly above the road on Feb. 25 at a drainage just beyond Senator Gulch, according to the county. Photos show massive boulders completely blocking the roadway. Plus, significant damage can be seen to the retaining wall supporting the road where it crosses the drainage.
A smaller number of rocks which fell tumbled to the valley floor.
A mudslide damaged this same section of road in 2022. It was re-opened after a single day's work.
Also known as Ouray County 361, Camp Bird Road, a popular access for backcountry recreation, now "is not safe for any mode of travel, including foot traffic."
It has been temporarily closed to all access. The sheriff's office will enforce the closure and issue citations to violators, the county stated in a social media post.
Ouray County Road & Bridge workers first examined the damage the day after the rockfall occurred. The next day, on Jan. 27, the Road & Bridge superintendent met with county administration, legal counsel, emergency management, and the sheriff. The indefinite closure and emergency declaration were then put in place.
"After this latest analysis from Buckhorn," a Front Range-based structural engineering firm, the City of Ouray stated on social media, "it was determined essential to declare an emergency for this area, due to the severity of the damage and equipment necessary for full mitigation and repair."
"[A] certified professional geologist," the county countered, "alerted the County that the area is not safe and is considered life-threatening and more rockfall is likely, due to fluctuating cool and warm temperatures."
Camp Bird Road extends southwest from Ouray and into Yankee Boy Basin. It leads to camping, hiking and climbing areas, and is used by cyclists. It is also the opening stretch of road over Imogene Pass, a popular four-wheel-drive route between Ouray and Telluride during the summer.
Ouray officials have not established when repairs might begin, let alone when they could end.
The emergency declaration does put into motion the need for flexible coordination between Ouray first responders and those in neighboring counties with special resources. Any emergency calls in Yankee Boy Basin will likely see very extended response times.
That's because San Miguel County side of Imogene Pass was closed in August of last year, also due to rock fall. The closure was extended through the remainder of the summer four-wheeling season due to retaining wall damage. Getting that part of the road repaired and open for off-road travel this summer is "a very optimistic timeline," a USFS ranger told the Telluride Times last week.
The road to the Camp Bird Mine and the town of Gothic was built in 1879, according to the U.S. Forest Service. The mine and road were named after "the thieving Canada jays that were known to pilfered miners' lunches." The mine's gold lode was discovered in 1895. It soon became one of the state's top three gold mines. The mine, after decades of on-and-off production, was last closed in 1990.
Camp Bird Road is known as one of the more dangerous backcountry roads in Colorado. Three people on a Jeep tour were killed in 2022 when the vehicle fell from the route and rolled to the bottom of the canyon.